Beneath The Stars
by Fortywinx
Summary: A story of what happened to Ayame after Tenchu. Kinda a follow up to 'Aftermath'. I decided that there weren't enough good fics about our favourite female ninja, so I wrote one. Enjoy!
1. Solitude

Beneath the Stars

Chapter 1: Solitude

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Tenchu characters, and I'm not getting any money from this. The song at the beginning is part of Reflections from Mulan, and I don't own that either.

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Look at me. You may think you see who I really am, 

but you'll never know me.

Everyday it's as if I play a part.

Now I see, if I wear a mask I can fool the world, 

but I cannot fool my heart.

A silence fell over the inn as the door was swung open and a cloaked figure stepped into the dim light. Water dripped from the strangers dark cloak and formed a puddle on the mat. The door closed to the pouring rain outside. The few people who were sat cross-legged at the low tables turned back to their drinks and food, as a low murmur spread back across the room.

The innkeeper peered over at the dark stranger as it came up to the bar.

'What can I git ya?' He said, in a gruff peasants accent, trying to see who was in the shadow of the hood of the cloak.

A pair of pale, slender hands came up and pushed the hood back. The woman's dark brown hair was pulled away from her face, and then fell in loose spikes down one side of her head. Her face was beautifully pale, and bespoke of someone who rarely went out in the sunshine for any length of time. Usually this indicated a girl of high birth who did not have to work in the fields, but this woman did not seem like a harmless flower who had run away from her father, she radiated an aura of confidence and superiority.

'I need a room for the night.' She spoke in pleasant mid tones, her voice calm and deliberate, as if each word was carefully thought out so as to avoid offence.

'Certainly m'lady.' He leaned closer to her and lowered his voice, 'although I'd be careful if I wuz you, what with this rabble and you bein an unescorted lady.'

She smiled mirthlessly, 'I thank you for the warning. Could you please direct me to the room-' She was cut off by someone grabbing her around the waist and swinging her around roughly.

'Come on now darlin.' Guffawed the burly lout who'd grabbed her, 'Hows a' bout me an' youse go off aways and have some fun eh?'

'Please let go of me.' She spoke in the same calm tones she'd used when asking for a room, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

The man leered, 'I don't think so my pretty, me an' my friends here, 'He indicated a couple of other rough looking men, who were grinning, 'want ta have some fun tonight.' He began to drag her towards the door.

The girl moved so fast she was a blur. The man doubled over as she elbowed him in the stomach, and there was an audible crack as she brought her knee up to his down travelling chin. Her cloak billowed backwards as she whipped it over her shoulders, and reached underneath it to the small of her back. She drew the two deadly looking kodachi's out in front of her and pressed them to the man's throat as he rose again.

'I told you to let go.' She said evenly, as if she'd just taken a stroll through the park, 'When a lady tells you to let go, she means it, and she doesn't want to go and have 'fun' with the likes of you.' 

The drunk didn't reply and seemed concentrated on trying to breath without cutting himself on either of the knives. With one last glare at the rest of the clientele, who were staring again, she turned from the man and kicked him to his knees as she headed for the door to the rooms.

The drunk leapt from the floor with a roar, a small but evil dagger in his hand. He dived towards the girl's unprotected back, the dagger upraised. His roar was cut off suddenly as the girl spun around. Something silver, glinted in her hands. The drunk fell to the floor with a gurgle, his dagger clattering harmlessly into the corner.

The inn was silent again. The woman knelt and wiped her blades on the dead man's clothes, and re-sheathed them underneath her cloak. Glancing at the rest of the clientele disgustedly, she headed for the exit. The innkeeper grabbed her arm.

'Nay m'lady. You don't wanna be goin out in weather like that.' He nodded his head towards the corpse, 'Yoshi has bin causin trouble in ere since he first arrived in these parts. We all bear witness that he acted like he shouldna against a woman.' He handed her a key, and glanced at Yoshi's two sullen friends in the corner, 'I'm given ya the special room with the lock, although after that I'll doubt you'll have any trouble round here.'

The girl looked at the key as if puzzled, and then suddenly smiled at the innkeeper, 'My humble thanks.' She fumbled at her belt pouch.

'Don't you worry bout that till the mornin, I can see youse tired. The room is up the stairs first door on the left.' Said the innkeeper, 'Sleep well m'lady.'

The woman nodded, still smiling, 'Please, call me Ayame. Again, I thank you for your kindness.' Turning she headed for the door to the rooms, stepping daintily over the corpse of Yoshi, she pushed open the door and disappeared from view.

Eventually the quiet murmur of people talking spread across the room again, and everyone relaxed. Almost no-one noticed when the two louts who had been sat with Yoshi, got up and left the inn with vengeance in their eyes.

* * *

Ayame lay back on the sleeping mat, and stared at the ceiling. She could tell that sleep was a long way off. The fight had got her adrenaline pumping and there was no way she could sleep that way, besides, recent events had meant that sleep eluded her like a frightened animal.

Sighing she rolled over onto one side. 

She'd been travelling alone like this ever since she'd seen Lord Gohda and Kiku back to the castle safely. Lord Gohda must have sensed the deep pain inside her at the loss of Rikimaru, and so had granted her wish to leave her post as the Master Azuma ninja. Hah, what a joke, she was the _only _Azuma ninja, the only one left. Besides there was little need for her services at the moment. The wars were coming to an end, or at least, Ayame conceded, an impasse. She had sworn to her Lord that she would return.

It had been worse because Rikimaru's demise had only brought back memories of Tatsumaru. She was still the only one who knew that Tatsu had taken his own life in shame. Rikimaru had always believed that she had stabbed him on Izouyui, not realising how she felt about the older ninja.

Ayame stared impassively at the wall whilst thoughts of her beloved 'brothers' filtered through her mind. 

She had changed since Tatsu's death she knew. Learning how to keep her face and voice calm whilst her thoughts screamed. Gone was the young impulsive Ayame who had loved life, and had said what she thought. The last remnants of her childhood had died with Tatsumaru.

And since that time she had become closer to Rikimaru. She and he had become so attuned to one another they worked perfectly as a team. Ayame thought that Rikimaru had been invincible. She smiled sardonically. Of course in reality she knew how frail life really was, even more so now he was gone.

She wondered why they had never taken any apprentices on, and then remembered that they'd meant to except what with the missions they'd had towards the end, it had been forgotten. Of course, it would have been Riki who would have taught them, Ayame, despite her abilities matching that of her older counterpart, still felt like she was an apprentice even now, as if she still hadn't learned everything, as if her older, more experienced brothers were looking over her shoulder.

She rolled back onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Ever since Riki's death she'd been travelling, she smiled slightly, and at almost every inn someone had tried to cause trouble like that idiot Yoshi. Most of them had got the point quicker than him though.

Dammit, sleep was still a long way off. Ayame sat up and tried to meditate to pass the time. 

Her ninja senses suddenly alerted her to the immediate presence of someone unwanted. Realising she was close to the open window, Ayame rolled into the room and came to her feet just in time to see a black clad figure hit the floor with a bump, and a curse.

She stood over the figure angrily. 'What the hell d'you think you're doing?'

'I..I was sent here…' The voice was muffled through the black cloth it wore over it's face but Ayame could hear it was quite high pitched. Judging from the size of the intruder it was probably an adolescent. 

'By whom?' Ayame asked crouching closer with her kodachi pressed against the cloth at the strangers throat.

The figure seemed to whimper slightly, but tried to draw itself up, 'I was sent by my Master. I am a ninja.'

Ayame laughed, 'If you're a ninja then I'm a geisha girl.' The black clad figure sank back a little and Ayame continued, 'So you came here to kill me?'

The intruder shook it's head slightly, 'No! No I was sent to…umm…get something…' 

Ayame raised an eyebrow. 'Like what?' She said.

The pair of dark eyes flickered to Ayame's belt pouch which was resting beside her sleeping mat. Ayame suddenly felt very angry.

'How dare you call yourself a ninja!' She snapped, 'You're nothing but a common thief.'

'No, no you don't understand -' The intruder stuttered

Bringing her hand around Ayame pulled the cloth away from the strangers face, 'Let's see what you look like, cur.' She looked down into a pair of defiant eyes.

The girl's lower jaw was jutted out in a gesture of defiance, and her brows were knitted together as she glared at Ayame. Her white hair fluffed out where the cloth had been pulled off roughly.

'I _am _a ninja, well, an apprentice, but me and my Master are the only ones left.' She said defiantly in the brief seconds that Ayame stared at her.

'I think you'd better take me to see your Master.' Said Ayame firmly, 'He needs a lesson in the difference between ninja honour and the honour of thieves.' The girl looked about to refuse, but Ayame dragged her to her feet and, after grabbing her few belongings, shoved the girl out onto the roof through the window and followed her. After a few seconds, silence spread over the small village again except for the constant pattering of the rain.

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Authors Notes: Ok for some explanations. Basically, this is set after Tenchu 1 and this is the beginnings of an idea I've had for awhile. If I get some nice reviews I'll continue it for you. The piece of the song at the top ties in with Ayame's feelings in the second half of the fic. I'm probably gonna put a piece of song at the beginning of each chapter, not necessarily that song, but other songs which fit in. Well, get writing those nice reviews, constructive criticism is welcome, but not if it's because I've put something like inns into Japan when they didn't exist at that time or sumthin, I'm doing my best with very little knowledge of Japanese history ok? LOL ^_^


	2. The Black Panther

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Beneath The Stars

Chapter 2: The Black Panther

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Tenchu chars or the song, which is by Enigma I think, and it's called 'Return to Innocence'…probably anyway.

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Don't be afraid to be weak,

Don't be proud to be strong,

Just look into your heart my friend,

That will be the return to yourself.

The return to innocence.

Ayame pushed the younger girl ahead of her, keeping a tight grip on the back of her black shirt. She'd already tried to run off twice, not that Ayame had any trouble catching her again, it was just that it wasted time, and since it was pouring down with rain, both of them were soaked by the time they reached the edge of the village.

The girl stopped suddenly, Ayame nearly walked into her.

'What's wrong?' She hissed at the girl

The girl shot her an evil smirk, and made a loud yowling noise, not unlike the wild cats which could be found in the bamboo forests in this area. The girl twisted out of her grip, and shot into the darkness. Ayame had been ready for this however, and started after her. A dark figure dropped from the tree in front of her. The long sword in one hand was quite visible even in the darkness.

Ayame brought her kodatchi up in time to block a down blow from the sword. The sword jammed in between her crossed blades, and she kicked out at the shadows knee. She was rewarded with a satisfying crack, although the shadow didn't falter and finally managed to pull the sword free.

Ayame ducked beneath the blade, and lunged in with her blades. The stranger leapt back, brought a leg around in a swipe, kicking Ayame in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She back-flipped just as the sword hummed by her face.

The swordsman lunged in and they traded blows for awhile, neither seeming to get an advantage. The sword came down towards Ayame's head once more, and she side-stepped to avoid it, lashing out clumsily towards the dark figure before she caught her foot on a rock, and fell to her knees. The stranger leaned back to avoid Ayame's slice, and overbalanced, falling into the mud.

Ayame's struggled to her feet. She was exhausted, but she dragged herself over to where the prone figure struggled in the mud. She snatched the mask from the strangers face. Another pair of angry, defiant eyes stared back at her. They were a disquieting shade of green. 

'Well? Are you going to kill me or not?' The boy said defiantly. Well, Ayame thought, not really a boy. He looks about my age.

'I should kill you, except I'm guessing that you're the 'Master' ninja 'round here.' She replied curtly. 'I came to speak with you, but you attacked me, and before that you sent your apprentice to steal from me.'

The other ninja looked away. It was obvious that he did in fact realise what a breach of code it was to send a ninja out to steal. Not to retrieve, but to steal money.

'Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?' Ayame demanded.

He looked around at her angrily, 'Well, for a start, you've made a fatal mistake in letting me get my breath back.' He leapt to his feet, with ninja speed, his sword in hand. 'And besides that…I _have_ to send my apprentice out to obtain any money she can get.'

'And why's that?' Ayame said coolly, not even flinching from the sword which the stranger brandished.

Green eyes regarded her once more, and then the man sighed. 'Because we are starving. I tell you this only because it is obvious that you are also a ninja, and in hope that you will understand our troubles.'

Ayame regarded him for a moment longer, before lowering her blades. 'Ok, I'm willing to believe that. Where are you stationed? Perhaps you want to explain these 'troubles' to me in more detail?'

The stranger smiled, and lowered the sword. 'Very well. Follow me.' He turned to the darkness, 'Neko, you may come out now.' The girl whom Ayame had caught in her room, stepped from the shadows, glaring balefully at Ayame. 

The boy turned to Ayame and smiled. 'My name is Kurohyou, but please call me Hyou.' He indicated the white-haired girl who was still scowling at Ayame, 'This is my apprentice, Suteneko, but she prefers Neko.'

Ayame nodded politely, 'My name is Ayame. I am Master of the Azuma Ninjas.' Oh well, they had no way of knowing she was Master because she was the _only _Azuma left. Silently, she followed the other two out of the clearing.

***

As Ayame sat cross-legged and sipped a warm drink, which tasted faintly of a healing herb that Ayame was familiar with, Hyou explained to her how his clan had been reduced to stealing money.

Suteneko was his sister. Both of them had been found, alone, beside the roadside and taken in by the Master at the time. Ayame knew the custom of leaving children with strange 'deformaties' by the roadside. Hyou's bright green eyes and Neko's strange white hair were probably enough to denote that evil spirits were troubling the children. Parents usually left such children to the perils of the roadside. Rikimaru's silver hair had probably been the reason he'd been left for Master Shiunsai to find. Ayame never knew why she'd been left, or Tatsumaru for that matter.

Hyou continued, explaining how there had been many ninja's in the clan at that time, but the last two had died with honour recently, protecting the reigning Lord in the area until the end. Just allowing the Lord to escape by sacrificing their own lives to take a whole horde of the enemy's men with them. Now though, he and his sister were the only ones left, and since the wars were coming to an end there seemed no need for them anymore. The Lord had left for another province some time ago, and ever since then, the food and orders had stopped coming. They'd been forced to steal food, money and anything else that they required.

After Hyou had finished his tale he fell silent, and broodily stared out of the open door at the rain. Ayame ate her small bowl of rice as politely as she could, and thought carefully about what she had been told. Perhaps there was a way to help them she decided. Off to the north, she had heard that there was a place where ninja's could be hired, if they thought that the cause was just and honourable. She had always been taught to look down on the type of travelling ninja who hired themselves out to anyone, but it would definitely be the perfect solution for Neko and Hyou. Besides which, Ayame wasn't sure she would ever be able to return to the Azuma Ninja village, the place had too many memories.

Ayame cleared her throat, 'I have a suggestion for you both…'

***

It was still raining the next morning, and the muddy road had turned them all a nice shade of brown up to their waists. Neko was muttering to herself, and periodically giving Ayame evil looks. Ayame ignored her, and instead concentrated on keeping an eye on their surroundings. This area was fairly well known for bandits, even so it was hard to imagine any bandits hard down enough on their luck to try and rob such obviously bedraggled and poor travellers.

Dark figures appeared at the side of the road. Ayame smiled grimly and without humour. She loosened her blades.

'Are you Ayame from the Lands of Lord Goda?' Said a gruff voice from an indistinct figure beneath the trees at the side of the road.

'What is it to you?' Ayame replied curtly and readying herself for the attack she knew would come.

The man sneered and brought his sword around, 'I'm to bid you farewell from 'Night Owl' before you die, ninja scum!' With that he lunged at her with surprising speed. Ayame dodged to the side just a fraction too late and the sword bit into her arm. Gritting her teeth, she shifted her stance trying to ignore the pain. 

_Looks like it's gonna be a long journey_

Author's Notes: Well whaddaya think so far? Sorry for the delay in posting up this chapter, but my computer has being dying over the last few months. More chapters up soon if I get some nice reviews! LOL


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